Recreation vehicles including motor homes and travel trailers are frequently provided with an extensible slideout room for increasing the vehicle's living space. The slideout room is extended for use when the vehicle is parked and is retracted in a telescoping manner when the vehicle is to be moved. Prior slideout room installations include an extension/retraction system disposed in the recreation vehicle which pushes and pulls the slideout room during extension and retraction. The extension/retraction system is typically attached to either a lower portion of the slideout room adjacent its floor or to an upper portion of the slideout room adjacent its roof. In either case, considerable force is required to extend and retract the slideout room. In addition, it is difficult to establish a good seal between the lateral wall of the recreation vehicle and the outer periphery of the slideout room when extended or retracted to prevent water leaks. Moreover, prior extension/retraction systems for slideout rooms have been overly complex and have required extensive modification to the recreation vehicle in which the slideout room is incorporated.
The present invention addresses the aforementioned limitations of the prior art by providing a slideout room installation for a vehicle such as recreation vehicle or a boat wherein the extension/retraction force is applied about the entire periphery of the slideout room, the extension/retraction mechanism is disposed entirely within and moves with the slideout room, and minimal modification of the recreation vehicle is required for installation of the slideout room.